With the holidays around the corner, I think many of us are thinking about all of those great red shades to wear! Holiday Red is a lip pencil from BA Star, which is a cosmetics company that caters to those in the performance industry, like cheerleaders, dancers, and gymnasts. Because of that, these products need to last a long time, and last through some challenges, like sweating!

Made in the USA and in jumbo pencil format, Holiday Red is a bright, blue-based red with the slightest hint of pink to it. It is darker than MAC’s RiRi Woo lip pencil, and more blue-based.

Holiday Red, RiRi Woo, L’Oreal Lacq-onic, Revlon Really Red

I really like the color of this lip pencil and find it flattering. It goes on smoothly and most importantly, it doesn’t let on that my lips are usually dry! It doesn’t catch or pull on dry skin since it is so smooth. Be careful when you apply it though, because it stains quickly, so if you make a mistake you may end up with some red skin where you don’t want it!

This pencil doesn’t feather and stays in place for hours. It does wear off a little bit with drinking, and it did not pass the kiss test, but after the kiss it looked just as vibrant (thank you, hubby!). It does stain the lips as well, ensuring the color will last.

I didn’t notice a particular smell to the product, but I could smell the wood of the pencil, which is not a big deal.

A couple of cons: I did find it slightly drying; however, I have dry lips to begin with and didn’t use a balm with this pencil. Wearing a balm will help with this. It isn’t uncomfortably drying though. The pencil is also a bit messy with the cap, so be careful putting the cap back on, or you may end up with red all over the place! 🙂

Overall, I really like this pencil and I love the color! Plus, this pencil is very affordable and in line with other jumbo lip pencils at $8.95. For the quality, this is a great price point.

*This pencil was provided to me through Brandbacker, and they are offering a generous 50% off with the code BBLIPS at the BA Star website. Code is good for full-priced items only. All opinions are my own.